Reviews

David reminds me of the persona in John Denver’s song Leaving on a Jet Plane, who announces “All my bags are packed; I’m ready to go” to loved ones before leaving to a faraway place for a long time – except that David also adds “But before I do, here’s something for you”. This “something”, then, is a brand new album consisting (almost) entirely of covers – an album he had decided to name BEGIN. “Why BEGIN.?”, you ask. David has very nicely explained here that it symbolises his entry into “new world, and a new phase of life” (for those in the dark, David is currently serving as a missionary for two years in South America); besides, it also depicts the “beginning of something else – a new mindset; a new perspective on things which is going to influence everything else”. It is an album that he hopes will bring everyone and begin the new journey together with him. As for its peculiar formatting (why all capitals, and why the period at the end?), Kari Sellards, David’s manager, has cheekily posted a few tweets regarding the subject, which you may check out here, here and here (in that order).

This album features a very pleasing choice of some well-known songs, including Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful, Sarah McLachlan’s Angel and even an original track by David, named Broken – all of which will be examined in a track-by-track review of the entire album. Prior to that, though, I would like to point out a couple of things – namely, David’s experimentation and bold use of his head voice in this album, to great effect. It’s so gratifying to hear David use it so well; after all, it is a new style for him. On the other side of the coin, there are nuances throughout the album which show that he does still have some ways to improve vocally – not so much that they spoil your enjoyment of the album, but they are there nevertheless. So, then – I will cut to the chase.

1. Beautiful

When I first heard this song, I noticed immediately how little David has deviated from the original track from Christina Aguilera – it is “karaoke-esque” for the most part, but don’t let that fool you. David’s expression in the chorus and the growls he scattered around it add enough impact to his rendition of the song. He does mean it when he says you are beautiful, so believe it, ladies and gentlemen. Nevertheless, he does go through some rough patches and awkward vocalisations so it isn’t the best track on the album – but it represents a solid enough effort from David. As an after-thought, this track reminds me of David when he was younger – before he was diagnosed with vocal paralysis: so full of spunk when he sings his songs.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

2. Somewhere Only We Know

David’s sugary pipes add a strange vibe to this song – haunting but sweet at the same time. The repetitive arrangement only enhances this effect. It is amusing how someone as young as David sings of being old and tired, but his honeyed crooning really does justice to his expression of this song. It is mellow and melancholic, yet manages to avoid sounding dull and lifeless – but this track isn’t one of my favourites from the album (blame it on my peculiar tastes, if you will).

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

3. Everybody Hurts

This is one of the better songs on the album – David’s high wail throughout portrays, with clarity, pain; and you can pick up his sympathy easily: he really wants you to know that everybody hurts and that it’s okay. Whether he is down in his lower register in “hang on” or soaring in his higher register in “hold on”, it is a reassuring sound that you want to believe in. The sweet, buttery voice that is so good at bubblegum-pop material takes a turn in the other direction here – and it doesn’t disappoint. Hey, he did end up as a runner-up on Idol for good reason after all.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

4. Don’t Give Up

David maintains his momentum in this (yet another) haunting track. His voice and the arrangement give this calming (and folk-ish) vibe to the song, and Libby Linton’s voice is beautiful as well as wrenching – together, they make for one of the best tracks on BEGIN. David is quite known for his outstanding duet capabilities – blending smoothly with his singing partners to produce almost unnaturally beautiful phrases – and he upholds that reputation pretty well in this song. Unfortunately, there is only one line in which they sing together – at other times, they take turns to sing their parts of the song, which led me to believe that they recorded this piece separately (due to time constraints) and the producers mashed their parts into the song later. It is quite a pity, since they sound so good together; I look forward to more performances from them.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5. Angel

This is one of the other “karaoke” tracks on the album – David has imitated almost note-for-note the original song, but boy, if there was ever a time when the adage “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” can be used, it is here. David is near flawless in this track; he captures so well the emotions featured in the song, and his heavy, rich crooning only serves to polish his performance in this track. His singing of “may you find some comfort here” is quite possibly my favourite moment in this song – if not the entire album. An angel of a song, indeed.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

6. Bridge Over Troubled Water

David runs into some troubled water in this song as he struggles with the vocalisation of certain parts (has anyone noticed his awkward “bridge”?). Nonetheless, his voice soars into sweet ecstasy in the chorus – producing the iconic croon that we all know him so well for; he doesn’t let the awkwardness detract him from the main emotions of the song. His final “Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease you mind” has some of the most pleasing runs on the album, and David’s overall performance in this song is strong enough to earn some (if not many) favourites from listeners.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

7. Broken

Here, we get to listen to David’s one and only original song on the entire album – and it is one of the most exquisite tracks I’ve heard from David so far – not just in this album, but in his entire career. David’s execution is very precise and careful, almost as if he is afraid of breaking something as he sings his lines. He begins the song softly and reassuringly – betraying the morbid message which he sings: “Child, it seems that younger and younger they start to wipe your minds clean”. Then he transitions into a beautifully haunting (yet again) chorus that really is a wonder to hear – so pure and fresh that the whole song can consist of just the chorus and I would not have minded one bit. As he proceeds into the bridge, the song gains power as David powerfully exclaims “Do you see what I see?” – the backing vocals (sung by David) further add to the momentum, then he lands suddenly and flawlessly into the final chorus: “But I saw, when I opened up my eyes, invisible children”. It is an interesting paradox: how does one see invisible children? Is it not the same as not opening your eyes at all?

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

8. True Colours

David maintains his momentum from his previous masterpiece as he sings True Colours. I feel the necessity to applaud the sheer power in his voice as he sings “so don’t be afraid” in the chorus, and the other verses are well-sung, too. The arrangement takes the backstage as it dances at the fringes of the song, letting David’s vocals stand out – and his voice really is outstanding, without being too flashy at the same time.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

9. Pride (In the Name of Love)

This is the only upbeat song in the whole album, but it isn’t necessarily the cream of the crop. David’s buttery croon is a mismatch with this pop-rock track. He yells too much in the chorus for my liking, but the verses are good enough listening material. I am particularly fond of the bridge and David’s use of his head voice, which he scatters throughout the song, but there is nothing much to scream about this song.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

10. Be Still, My Soul

It puzzles me as to why David added a hymn to this album, but ours not to reason why. He doesn’t deliver that amazing performance reminiscent of Christmas from the Heart that you might be expecting, but I like the generally melancholic tone of the track and David’s rather suppressed vocals. The tragic-sounding piano arrangement also delights yours truly, and makes for a fitting last track for the album: this is as much as we will hear from David for the next year and some more. Enjoy every note in this song, even as the tinkle of the piano fades away sadly into oblivion.

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

In a nutshell, this album is showcases quite a decent performance from David. I recall another review of this same album which stated that this album isn’t meant to impress the crowd, but is merely there to satisfy us ArchAngels and keep us satisfied as we await his return; I beg to differ: BEGIN. can certainly persuade non-Angels to join our fandom – all they need are some good-quality headphones and a very loud player to convince them. David has taken a new direction in his singing style on this album, featuring the more tender and powerful parts of his voice, and it is a good and effective decision on his part. Nevertheless, this ballad-heavy album can be quite a tedious earful for some people, while others may be put off by the twinning of David’s sugary, buttery voice with these timeless melodies – it takes some getting used to this album, but once you have, you will not regret having made the transaction to purchase BEGIN.

“While I won’t have all of you there with me, with this album I wanted you to know what it feels like for me – this new start; this new chapter – that is why I wanted to call it BEGIN.” So speaks David, and personally, I feel that the album is quite a great beginning to this “new chapter”, and I certainly hope that this excellent start will be carried onwards in his life, and that he will use this experience to further enhance his musicality. What say you? Spare some of your thoughts regarding the album in the comments section below!

My sister and I (the ArchuTwins, as we like to call ourselves. Haha) had two of the best days of our lives, no kidding! After all, they were the days when our guilty pleasure, our inspiration and our kind of perfect aka David Archuleta was in town. I have no idea what kind of spell he had on us, but not one day had gone by when we have not thought of him and discussed about him, respectfully of course, since we got to know him in his Idol days. Not one! Imagine our heartbeats when we got word that the man himself was coming, wooh!

KLIA

It was so sweet of David to come near us excited fans at the airport, taking his gifts and cards from us and shaking our hands, all the while smiling and saying thank you. When he took the postcard from my sister, my heart skipped a beat and I let out a soft scream. The moment he shook my hand, my heart did a bachata (cheh!) and I was literally speechless. He shook my hand! My first Archuhandshake! My girly bits went all girly. Oh, that was definitely A Moment!

While running after him (he and his team walked super-fast!), my sister actually called out to him to “Look here!” twice, and both times, he did. I think that’s very nice of him, I mean, I have read articles saying that David obliges his fans’ reasonable requests like this, but I always thought that it was too good to be true. I’m glad I stand corrected. After that, when David was already in the back seat of the van, he was talking so calmly to the lady sitting next to him and fiddling with an Elmo balloon Amira gave him while everyone else were so excitedly calling out his name and taking pictures of him as if he was a zoo exhibit. I mean, how does he do that?! Anyway, all I wanted was for David to notice me so I waved my arms off just to catch his attention. All of a sudden, he stopped talking, looked me in the face, tilted his head to the left, smiled a pity-ish kind of smile (I think so because my hair, which was supposed to be under the protection of my tudung, was showing so untidily and my face was shining with sweat after running after him) and waved at ME for a full two seconds before turning to wave at the others! I was overjoyed; I couldn’t think straight, haha.

Yup, that’s me before David waved. My hair was showing and my face was shining with sweat, true? Sigh. Can you spot him in the van there?

HILTON

Soon after, my sister and I were dropped off at Hilton by Jolene, who played her The Other Side of Down album in the car (thanks, Jolene!). It was really fun to hear her talking so animatedly about her amazing encounters with David the last time he came, all the way from KLIA to Hilton! We felt a rush of such a positive vibe. Anyway, Elyssa and I were separated from the other AAMers we met earlier at the hotel lobby. Luckily, I saved Deborah’s number so I texted her, to which she replied, “Level 6.” (Thanks, Deborah!) When we went there, the AAMers were already inside the room where the press conference was held and we were “stranded” outside the door. Out of the blue, a busy-looking woman talked to us and said, “Okay, I’m going to let you in. But, you have to be CALM,” she added after Elyssa gave a small Wooh! I think she panicked, haha. We were so thankful!

When David walked into the room, Elyssa and I couldn’t help nudging each other. Omigod! That’s David! It’s the REAL thing! As all my sister and I wanted was for David to notice us, again, we waved so heartily at him from below. He was already half-way sitting, when obligingly, he stood up straight for a fraction of a second and waved directly AT US before sitting down again! If you can believe it, that small gesture made us very happy. Afterwards, when the press and the photographers left the room to take pictures of David on another level of the hotel, again, my sister and I tried our luck. David was talking to some men on the stage when Elyssa and I went up front with our banners up and called out his name a couple of times. David giggled and was like, “Heheey!” and waved at us again! That man, I tell you. Made our day!

Meet my sister, Elyssa, at the press conference. David’s at the back there, see J.

FAHRENHEIT 88

After the press conference, Elyssa and I hitched a ride with Aunty Paik Yee to Fahrenheit 88 where the autograph session was held (thanks, Aunty Paik Yee!). We were not expecting to get David’s signature as we had already bought our tickets, but the Sony people were really considerate, so David’s autograph we got (thanks Sony people!)! While we were waiting for our turn to meet the David Archuleta, Jeff was talking to the girls in front of us. When the girls went up the stage, Jeff turned to us and said, “Ooh, matching scarves.” When we told him we’re twins, he said, “You don’t say. Is this a coincidence? Did you come with those girls? Two twins in a row! Wow, I have GOT to take a picture of this!” We had NO idea the girls in front of us were twins too, really! Jeff went up the stage before us and while David was still talking to the other set of twins, Jeff motioned us to look at his camera and smile. OMG!David Archuleta’s dad just took a picture of US! In his own personal PHONE!

Our turn to meet David! I held a rolled up scrapbook we made to pass it on to David when I meet him later and we gave our camera to Nadia from Fly.fm to take pictures of this long-awaited moment (thanks, Kak Nadia!). I was really nervous while Elyssa, being Elyssa, was super excited. She actually put her hand out to shake David’s hand before I had the chance to (and I was standing in front of her), haha. David was really nice, he was like, “Oh, you’re twins too? Did you come with them?” David, oh David. Like father like son, LOL. Anyway, I said to David, “David, thank you so much for EVERYTHING.” He was like, “Awh, noo!” And when Elyssa said the same thing, he replied with a, “No, thank YOU for supporting me.” Awh! And then he signed my album and obligingly wrote my name on it. Then I asked him for a hug, which I knew he wouldn’t give at any of his signing sessions, but I gave it a shot anyway. Who knows, maybe I’ll get as lucky as Jolene? Haha. But, no luck anyway. Although, as expected of David Archuleta every time he refused a hug, he did smile sheepishly, leaned back a little, and said with an almost sorry tone, “Awh, High Five?” Of course I didn’t turn it down! When David diverted his attention towards Elyssa, I left the stage. Elyssa’s experience with David was a tad different than mine. For one, she couldn’t stop saying “David, I love you!” and “Omigod, omigod, omigod” to David that when he asked her for her name to write on the album, she didn’t realize it! But David was really nice though. He didn’t push her to stop talking; instead he waited patiently for her to stop gushing (that’s an Awh! moment, right there). Oh, and a thousand and one thoughts came running through my head when I met him that I forgot to pass him the scrapbook. And I had it in my HAND! Ah, well. Managed to pass it on to his father after that though, phew!

Proof that David’s dad, Jeff Archuleta, took a picture of us through his phone. David’s shaking Lyssa’s hand here! Thanks for the nice shot, Kak Nadia J.

MEET AND GREET SESSION

The moment I had been waiting for SO long! When my sister and I arrived at the stadium, we checked our names and were really glad to know that we will be sharing our picture with David with Aunty Paik Yee and her daughter. While waiting, we could hear David’s sound check session going on inside, although not so clear. I wish I would’ve tried harder to listen to it, but I was talking too excitedly with a friend whom I haven’t met since leaving school last year. I’m not complaining though, it was great meeting her again! Anyway, when it was our turn to go in, I was literally shaking. I know I’d met the guy who had influenced me so much just a few hours before, but I couldn’t help it. It’s David! Inside the room, we said Hi! to Jeff and I just stared at David’s ever-smiling face as long as I could. When the group before us left the room, Elyssa was already excitedly calling out David’s name and her outstretched hand was the first to reach David’s. David was nice, as ever. He was like, “Oh, hey! How are you?” and shook both our hands, and also Aunty Paik Yees’ and her daughters’ hands too. Then, I gave David a black t-shirt with the words I❤ THAILAND printed on it, but I scratched the LAND and added FOOD & MALAYSIANS (as in the people) TOO😉 using crayon. He thought the wordings were I❤ MALAYSIA, he didn’t read it when I gave it to him. But we heard his dad laughed when he held it for the picture, haha. Then, WE HUGGED HIM. We asked him if we could, but he didn’t say no. So we did! According to Elyssa, he was about to hug me back. But I was too nervous, I let go off him too soon L. Because he didn’t return Elyssa’s hug, see (maybe because he wasn’t expecting it), so I was scared that he wouldn’t like it if I hug him. Oh, why did she have to tell me that NOW? Ah well, better luck next time. And oh, by the way, David was our first ever Boy-Hug!

CONCERT

The concert was, of course, more than what we had expected! My sister and I bought David’s official t-shirts right before the concert, so we changed into them immediately. There are simply too much to tell about our experience at the concert, but rest assured, they are all amazing! One of the highlights of the concert was during Elevator, for us at least. We were sitting in the middle of the fourth row, so I’d like to think that David had a clear view of us as much as we had a clear view of him, haha. During the part when David sang “What you don’t expect, to come and find you,” he was looking and pointing directly at Elyssa! Seriously! Both of us were jumping and singing along so happily without a care in the world and suddenly, he looked our way, smiled a sort of teasing smile and pointed to my sister! All thoughts gone, we froze on the spot. Then we looked at each other and squealed excitedly! He pointed! HE POINTED! Oh, we melted. Another highlight was when he looked at us again at one point. I don’t remember what song he was singing then but he stayed at that spot for quite some time. I kept nudging Elyssa to put down her camera as David was looking, and at that moment, I was like, “Ala, kenapa Lyssa tak turunkan camera?” According to my sister, she had a feeling that David WAITED for her to click the camera before moving on! I mean, I have read a recap from someone who’s been to a show David did before a book signing session that David did just that, but to have it happening to us was a different story. We were really grateful! Too bad the camera that we used was not canggih; by the time the camera caught the picture, David had already moved away. But at least it made us feel special J.

That’s us at the concert. Look at our happy faces! Spot David at the back of us, getting ready to play Crazy! Thanks for the nice shot, the-girl-who-sat-behind-us!

POST-DAVID-IN-KL BLUES

After those two amazing days ended, Elyssa and I were still over the moon even though I was already suffering from the post-David-in-KL blues. It was so sad to know that David had left Malaysia, although I am happy that he got to go back to somewhere he’s familiar with and have a much deserved rest. I was just telling Amira through Twitter how lucky she was that David’s dad tweeted through her account when she told me that Jeff remembered us! He said that he’d never seen twins at any of David’s autograph sessions before and he thought that it was unique that this time he got to see TWO sets of twins at his sons’ autograph session, back to back pulak tu! He even told Amira that he took a picture of us just for keepsake! I don’t know if Amira was just jesting with us or not, so if she lied to me, that means I lied to you lah. Haha, kidding! Thanks, Amira!

We started the first day with very low expectations, and ended the second day with pure satisfaction. Good things do come to those who wait, eh? We have a lot of people to thank for, but I believe that I am most indebted to God who had given us this amazing experience we’ll never forget. Alhamdulillah. My sister and I have made many wonderful friends and we are so grateful. Thank you so much everyone! So that’s my recap of my kind of Amazing ArchuExperience. I’ll leave it to you if you want to believe them or not, but rest assured, I am not a very good liar😛.

Ps: David, if you’re reading this, rest assured that if Falling Stars was meant for us, you don’t have much to worry about J. And Come back to Malaysia SOON! We miss you already!

lol the recaps are coming in fast and thick! This one’s from Han Yang:

The past few days, HAVE BEEN AWESOME.
But unfortunately, I’m suffering from post-concert depression now.
On Monday, when David touched down at KLIA at 12.50pm, my reaction in school freaked out everyone. Mostly because I was scratching and reminding everyone they’re breathing the same Malaysian air as David Archuleta.

And at night, Jack, Amanda, Nicholas picked me up for the autograph session at Fahrenheit 88. After the little argument that went on Sony’s wall, they finally let everyone get David’s autograph.😀 (Sony never disappoints)

I’m the one in white. And that’s Zulaikha on the left.🙂
For the first time ever, I’ve been so close to a celebrity. AND IT WAS AMAZING. Guess what I got signed?

And guess what’s even better?

MEET AND GREET SESSION! :D

I went to wait outside Stadium Negara at 4pm the next day, I wasn’t exactly prepared for the concert at night, cos I didn’t really want everything to come to an end, but time decided to zoom by faster. Before I knew it, it was already 6, then the Meet & Greet session started at 6.04pm, our group’s turn (We were divided into groups of 5) was at 6.08pm, the whole thing ended at 6.20-ish.
It was incredibly fast, like 30 seconds each group, but I stayed a little bit longer in the room. Reason?

During the autograph session, when it was my turn to see David, he said he liked my shirt, and asked where I got it, so I told him I got it from Brands Outlet, but he didn’t quite catch what I said, three times, before the girl next to him said he might find it at Threadless back in US.
So, I immediately got him another copy of the shirt, and gave it to him the next day during M&G session. He was rather surprised when I took it out from the bag, before saying,’Oh! I remember from yesterday! Thank you!’

And this was the shirt I gave him.

I couldn’t exactly remember what else was said, but Sony was rushing me to get out before the next group enters.
The moment I went out of the room, I remembered something…. I left my fan inside the bag I gave David. I sorta bought a fan for myself cos it was hot like mad outside, and the moment they gathered all M&G-ers, I chucked it in the bag and waited. Being so excited and nervous, I forgot all about it and just left it there. David, I hope you like the unintended gift.

Although it was really fast and rushed, it was still awesome.🙂
And an hour later, Wei Juene, Jack, Amanda and Nicholas arrived. We sorta chat for a while before we had to enter the stadium.
Another hour or so, David came out, and started the whole show with Stomping The Roses.😀

Credits to AAM and Gua for the photos.
If you’ve ever thought David sounded really good when listening to his CD. Your mind will explode with candy when you hear him live. I loved EVERYTHING, especially Crazy, Falling Stars, and A Thousand Miles. Then, Post Concert Depression and Post Archuleta Sydrome kicked in the moment he left the stage.

And today, everything I saw in school reminded me about the concert and before it.
*Seeing my friend hold a fan*
Me:(turn around) Wei Juene, he’s holding a fan, that reminded me of my fan I left in the bag before handing it to David!
*sees the Deathly Hallows symbol my friend drew*
Me: Wei Juene, that symbol reminded me of how excited I was during the last 5 minutes of school yesterday!
*sees 7UP bottle*
Me: Wei Juene, that bottle reminded me about the stall I bought my drink from after the Meet And Greet session!

The more I said, the more my friend told me to sit down and shut up.

But the point is, thanks David, for the past two days. It was fantastic and incredible! (Somehow, these few words don’t feel like they do justice to how awesome it was) Was great being part of your Asian tour, and it was great to meet you. Hope you liked the cow and chicken shirt. And the fan.

Also, it was great to see Salamahafifi, Hazmi, Zulaikha, Hema, Clara, Saleisha, John, Zachary, Lih Wern, and the other few people who chatted with me during the concert.

As I walked out of the room I thought I was in heaven! My mind was empty, I was overwhelmed and all I remember was Ean walked towards me and said “Come here, you are shaking” and he gave me a big and tight hug. I kept thanking them and told them their interview was great!

“You guys are the best! Your interview is never boring and you guys always make David laugh”. JJ was so pleased to hear that as he thought he didn’t do that well as he was tired. I thanked Melissa again, if it was not because of her I wouldn’t be there, we exchanged contacts and said goodbye.

Now I had to rush to Fahrenheit as the rest of the fans were already there for the signing. I was soooo excited! The whole journey to Fahrenheit felt like 5 minutes for me even though it took me an hour as I was overjoyed to see David again! My aunt called and asked where was I as David has arrived and started singing. I was still caught in the jam near Pudu (and I left before David, apparently the Sony girl told me they used the back lane) so I decided to skip the jam and parked at Jalan Alor. It was pretty far but I ran so fast I think I got to Fahrenheit within 10 minutes. David was already on stage signing so we started queuing up to get his autograph. I was really happy seeing all the fans there, some who I have met 2 years ago and it was great to see a lot of new faces too.

I didn’t plan what to say to David this time as I have just met him and had the most wonderful moment with a conversation that was more than a sentence and a live interview, what more should I ask for?

So when it was my turn I just passed the lyrics booklet to David and said “Hi David, it’s me again!” He looked at me and immediately he recognized me and said “Heyyy” with his charming smile as always and after the signing I didn’t intend to say much since I had just spoken to him earlier, usually I’ll try any ways to get him to talk (well any fans would do that) but this time I just said “Thanks David! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

As I took the booklet and about to leave David looked at me and for the first time, he asked me a question!!! He looked really curious and asked “WHERE ARE YOU FROM ACTUALLY?” I almost died at that moment!

David just asked me a question! I was silent for a moment as I didn’t expect him to ask me anything! I trembled and answered him “Ermm I’m from here, KL…” He looked at me and said “Ohh…” We both looked at each other and I wish I knew what to say as he was just looking at me expecting me to say something or at least gave me a chance to say something but I didn’t know what to say! How useless! I wonder what crossed his mind and made him asked me that question!!

Maybe because I was always alone when I met him the past couple of times so it got him curious perhaps…Anyways, I didn’t know what else to say so I told him “My name is Jolene by the way” and he replied “YEAH I KNOW!”. Either he was just trying to make me happy or he really remembered my name I didn’t really care which one, I felt like the HAPPIEST GIRL ON EARTH!!! I said bye to him again and told him I’ll see him tomorrow. He smiled and said bye…I would never forget that moment!

I know this is really long so I think I’m going to cut it short but I have to mention this…I met so many great people and had such wonderful time hanging out with everyone at Times Square the next day before David’s concert and conquering the washroom where all the fans changed into AAM and some Archie T-shirts haha… We all proudly walked out of the washroom calling ourselves the craziest fans of David, sharing our experiences how David made us do things we have never done in our lives!!

David and the band left us in awe after the concert!! It was just too amazing! I just wished we could have a group photo with him like what we did 2 years ago. Unfortunately it didn’t happen this time. So I suggested we should all go to Hilton and I had a feeling we will meet David. So some of us went and waited patiently at the café on the lobby. Twenty minutes later the band walked in and everyone was so excited but we didn’t see David! Anyway, I approached the band and asked them if we could have a group photo with them and all 3 of them – Mark, Ben and Steven were happy to say yes to us.

Steven was standing next to me so I asked him ‘Where is David?” He said “Oh David was hungry so they took him to have something to eat”. So I asked more “Why didn’t you guys join them? Aren’t you hungry?”

From the conversation I found out some VERY USEFUL information. Steven replied “Oh I’m not that hungry, just wanna get back to the room and have a rest coz we are having very early morning flight tomorrow. We are flying to Hong Kong first”. Thanks to Steven’s info, that’s how I got to meet David the next day!

We waited for more than an hour and David was still not back yet. I had a feeling he used a different way to enter his hotel room as the band might have informed Jeff or David that there was a big group of fans waiting at the lobby. I was feeling a little disappointed…I thought I was not that lucky after all. I was tired too so we left together with some fans. I haven’t give up though, on the way home I told Jonathan let’s go home and check David’s flight! Steven said they were having early morning flight to HK, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be that difficult to track. The moment I arrived home, Anne messaged me and said David arrived the hotel 5 minutes after we left so some fans managed to meet him! My heart stopped for a moment…I just missed the chance to see him! I was glad for the fans but I was so upset with myself for leaving early and I told myself I had to try to meet him at Hilton the next morning no matter what. I was really exhausted but I know if I didn’t try I would regret for the rest of my life so Jonathan and I decided to go even if we were only going to have 3 hours sleep.

Set my alarm at 5.15am and Jonathan came to pick me up at 5.30. We arrived Hilton before 6am and we sat at the lobby, both of us were so sleepy but I tried keeping my eyes open. Ten minutes later we met Amira and Anisz, they said Jeff told them the night before if they would like to meet David they can wait for him at the lobby at 6.50am (if I’m not mistaken). Not long after that we saw Steven, Mark and Ben!! We knew we were going to see David!!! I was glad we estimated the right time to be there and thanks to Steven too!! I was sooooo happy!!! At least our 3 hours sleep was worth it!

We first approached Mark and wished him good morning and he looked a little surprise to see us there. We had our individual photo with him. Then came Steven and he saw us so I wished him “Good morning! Did you have a good sleep?” He replied “Morning! It was not bad…did you guys meet David last night?”

So I told him David arrived five minutes after we left and we didn’t get to see him but some fans did. He said “Aww that’s too bad…so you guys just got here? Where do you live?” I replied “We live 20 minutes away from Hilton and decided to come, see if we can meet David before he leaves”.

We started talking about a lot of stuff. Steven said he loves Asia and this whole trip was so exciting for him and the band. This was his first time to Asia. They really enjoyed themselves but then they got sick after eating some kind of fruits in Manila so they stopped being so adventurous with food after that.

Steven is just amazing, he is so approachable and he really shares what he feels with the fans. I don’t remember how we got to this topic, he told me they will be flying to Japan on the 3rd August but he asked me to keep it to myself first and they will announce the news soon! I was so excited as I know how much David wanted to go to Japan! Steven said they just got the news the night before and David was really excited! They were supposed to perform for the Japanese navy according to him. So he said they only get to be home for 3 days. What an exciting news I thought! David will be in Asia again next week!

He was sick first and then followed by Mark and Ben. So I asked him “What about David?” He replied “He was alright though. It was only us. He tried even more food than us, David is really adventurous with food especially in Manila he tried different kind of local food”.

We talked so much I don’t really remember the sequence of our conversation, then he told me how much he loves music and he started playing drums since 2. I told him it’s amazing to be able to do what he loves and make a living out of his passion and he said “Yeah I’m really thankful to be able to travel to all these cool places to play music it’s really awesome!”

Then I asked him “How is it like to be working with David?” He said “Oh he’s great, we have the same groove in music. We all work together very well. In fact, I knew Mark and Ben way before and when I met them at the audition we asked each other “what are you doing here?” haha…We all went to the audition at the same time and it was great that we got picked to work with David!”

Then the next topic, the one I LOVE the most! He said “We all think KL IS BY FAR OUR BEST STOP!” I replied happily, “Really? Come on Steven don’t try to make us happy!”

Then he replied “No it’s true! Other countries were great too but we had less problems in Malaysia.” So I asked him “What problems??” He replied “Oh well people here all speak English so it was really easy for us but other countries we had problems with the technical issues like soundcheck, we need a translator but over here it was so easy.

AND THE FANS OF COURSE!!! Malaysia is the only country when we came out from the airport and you guys sang!” I was thrilled hearing what Steven just said! Then I replied “But I thought the fans from other countries did that too?” He said “No they just screamed” (Maybe the fans sang before they saw David and lost control when David appeared, well we totally understand that, who doesn’t scream when they see David?) Then he continued “And everyone knew the lyrics and sang along during the concert it was really cool!”

Then I told him “Yeah David has a lot of great fans in Malaysia! It was because of the hundreds of phone calls and emails to Sony, they decided to bring David here! Do you know this is the first time Sony as a music label doubled up as an organizer for the concert? They really had a lot of faith in David!”

I remember Steven looked so amazed and replied “Wow! Really?!! I didn’t know this!” Then Jeff came and Steven asked him “Hey do you know because of the fans Sony decided to have this concert?”

Jeff replied “Yeah I know! Same thing happened in Manila. The organizers said “Do you know why we decided to bring David here? Because the fans wouldn’t stop calling!”

Steven still looking a little shocked said “Wow you fans are amazing!” We introduced ourselves after that, after such a long conversation…we shook hands and he said “Give me a shout out in twitter, are you in my twitter?” I replied “Yes I am but I don’t think you will remember me after awhile”.

He replied “Just say the girl who spoke to me at the hotel lobby haha”. Then I said “Just remember Dolly Parton’s song, Jolene and you will remember me, that’s my name. David sang this to me 2 years ago!”

Later, I asked Jeff “Jeff can I have a photo with you before you go?” He turned and looked at me “Of course! How can I say no to such a polite lady like you?” Jeff is such a sweet man. We took a photo and I asked him “David is still in his room? Aren’t your flight at 9.25am?”

He looked at me shocked and said “You know better than I do! I don’t even know what time our flight is!” He grabbed his itinerary out from his bag and as he was looking at his flight details he said “Mike is the one who usually takes care of all our schedules. He is so good that I don’t need to worry about stuff like that so I can concentrate on the creativity part…You know how some people are born to be a good manager and I’m just not that kind, I’m more of an entrepreneur or a creative director, coming up with ideas and brainstorming with people.”

Then all of a sudden I heard Amira and Anisz said “It’s HIM, it’s HIM!!! There he was with a stripes shirt and his backpack (reminds me of 2 years ago when I met at the airport, he was carrying his backpack too). He looked sleepy…poor David, he must be really tired with all the crazy hectic schedules and had to wake up so early.

There were four bodyguards escorting him and as he was walking towards us I gave Jeff a quick hug and wished him a good flight then turned to David and said “Hi David, we are just here to say goodbye” David stopped and said “Awww thanksss…”

Then Amira was so excited she took her phone and stood next to him and took a photo. Then I asked David if we could have a group photo with him real quick so we won’t take a lot of his time and of course David said yes and smiled.

After the photo I think Amira and Anisz told him to make a video blog soon then the bodyguards kind of rushed and ushered David towards the entrance but before he walked off he turned his head around (I stood behind him) and waved to me then said bye. I slowly followed David to the entrance and he got into the back seat of the car (exactly where he sat when he arrived KLIA on Monday).

Steven called my name suddenly “Joleneeee…I will remember you!” He hugged me and said “You are a great fan! We hope to be back soon!” I was really touched and replied “Awww thanks Steven! You are such a nice guy! We hope to see you again soon! Have a good flight and take care!”

Then I turned around to look at David again and he was actually looking at me!! That was the longest we ever looked at each other, it was a little awkward as we were just looking at each other for like 5 seconds!! So I smiled and he smiled…Then Mike thanked the 2 ladies from Sony and he said “KL, THE BEST TRIP!” Jeff got into the car, lower down the window and thanked the lady too then David and Jeff shook her hand. As the car was slowly moving Jeff waved at us and said bye then David waved at us too!

Like this:

I got to meet David at the autograph session on Monday and we had a little conversation that I’m gonna remember for the rest of my life haha. Here it is:-

Me: Hi David!😀

David: Heyy, how’re you?!

Me: *staresintohiseyesforawhile* I’m good!

*done signing*

Me: Can I shake your hand? And take a picture?!

David: Suree *shakeshand* (he has a really firm grip btw)

Me: The camera’s right there *points at camera*

*smiles for the camera*

Me: Thankyouu!😀

David: No problem, thank you! *withthecutestsmileinthewholewideworld*

Then we hung around and talked to Jeff as well. He’s a really cool person, now we know where David gets it from haha🙂

Us with Jeff🙂

Then the next day (July 26th), I had to go for my JPJ test which I failed haha. Of course I was disappointed but I put that aside because I was gonna watch DAVID ARCHULETA perform live and that’s all that mattered at that moment. Some test was not gonna bring me down! :D

David was amazing on Tuesday night(like he always is). I took loads of pictures and videos of him. Out of the many many pictures that I love, this one is my favourite of the night❤

I didn’t only get to meet this amazing person, I also got to meet really cool Archie fans. I love all you AAM-ers, you guys are awesome! *hugs*

From the right, Kamal, Frisha, Nadia and I😀

And of course, Natalie🙂

This was by far the best thing that has ever happened and I would never in a million years forget it! I now believe that dreams do come true, because mine just did! I’m very sure he’ll be back, and we’re all going to meet him again. Real soon!😀

Have faith and dream big, cause if you don’t dream big, what’s the use of dreaming, right?!😉

BABYFACE David Archuleta showed that he had the skills to thrill young fans on Tuesday evening at his first ever, full-blown concert in Malaysia.

On his second visit to our shores, the 20-year-old Utah native belted out his own popular tunes as well as giving a spin on some classic hits for thousands of fans at Stadium Negara for an hour and a half, as part of his ‘The Other Side of Down’ tour.

Scheduled to start at 8pm, concert goers began to fill up the stadium from 7.30pm onwards. Although the stadium was nowhere close to being packed, there was a whole lot of love for David within the stadium grounds, with clus­ters of fans singing out his hit Something ‘Bout Love before there were any signs of the concert starting.

Upcoming homegrown artiste Hao Ren, who is under the organiser Sony Music label, appeared on stage at 8.30pm, signalling the start of the con­cert and for fans, it was time to scream more so for David then Hao Ren. After singing only one song with the help of dancers, the winner of two awards at the 2011 MYAstro Music Awards, gave the audience a little intro­duction before leaving the stage for David.

After his band appeared, fans did not have to wait too long for their ‘Idol’ to come on stage. Showing off his Bahasa Malaysia skills with “Apa khabar Malaysia?”, he launched into his first song Stomping The Roses and moving along to the title of his tour The Other Side of Down.

The 2008 American Idol runner-up then got the crowd excited with his hit A Little Too Not Over You and gave a little advise about love before going on to Love Don’t Hate.

However, the youthful David got most attention when he went on to sing the upbeat number Something ‘Bout Love – which got the fans both young and old singing along with him.

David also showed a more mature side of him when he sang a cover of Tears For Fears hit, Everybody Wants To Rule The World. The girls in the audience got a sneak peak to his own Miss Right, in his single My Kind of Perfect. Many were seen mov­ing their colourful glow sticks in tune with the tender ballad.

Thanking his fans after every song, David shared his dreams through the catchy song Elevator, which was another hit among the audience. After introducing his band, he revealed that he misses his mother when he tours and sang Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles to remember her and touched many with his skills on the piano.

While fans went into a frenzy for the sweet-faced singer, he continued to entertain with Falling Stars before getting more approval from the crowd with his popular tune Touch My Hand. He gave the older audience , many consisting of parents of fans, something to enjoy with Stand By Me, a song made popu­lar by Ben EKing.

Calling it a night with Zero Gravity, the singer was enthu­siastically jumping around the stage, much to the delight of the fans. His short disappear­ance backstage also saw fans shrieking more for him, which is obliged with three more songs, including a slow and smooth version of Gnarles Barkley’s Crazy on piano. Ending it with another cover Heaven by Bryan Adams and his own hit Crush, the singer thanked his fans before making an exit.

David’s naturally friendly personality, strong voice, and joyful smiles made it a happy concert experience for all there.